After a young Leukemia patient’s life was spared after using cannabis, additional research has shown that CBD can destroy leukemia cells. The wonder drug proved to be a remarkable alternative to traditional leukemia treatment, and it has opened new doors for medical marijuana as a treatment option. Here is the case of young cancer survivor Landon Riddle, and how cannabis saved his life.

Landon Riddle: A Young Warrior

Landon was just two years old when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. A team of doctors suggested to Riddle’s mother, Sierra, that the young boy should undergo chemotherapy. The doctors had a treatment of mind that would take up to four years to destroy the cancer cells. Riddle would also have to be on a cocktail of pain medication to help with the grueling process. Morphine, OxyCotin, and Ativan were prescribed to help young Landon cope with his variety of treatments.

Months into the treatment, Landon’s mother Sierra became fed up with the painstaking process. Cannabis seemed like the only viable option at the time. However, the family lived in Utah—a notorious stickler for medical marijuana. The family made the decision to move to Colorado, one of the only states where medical cannabis was legal for children.

However, Landon was able to land his medical card, becoming the youngest child to do so. This became a topic of national debate. Sierra’s decision to get her son medical marijuana became a highly controversial one. However, when Landon started his cannabis treatment, his health remarkably improved. As opposed to the variety of pills he was taking in prior treatments, Landon actually felt good again. Sierra took her son off the chemo, OxyContin, morphine, and Ativan altogether. Doctors disagreed with the decision, but Riddle fought against them. They even tried to get Child Protective Services involved but to no avail.

Almost five years later, Landon Riddle is now cancer-free, although he does still feel some of the affects. He still uses cannabis to deal with digestive problems, in additions to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the mother-son duo has become staunch cannabis advocates. They have even managed to pass a bill that allows child patients take their medical marijuana to school.

Research Shows CBD Can Destroy Leukemia Cells

At the time, research was somewhat inconclusive for CBD and leukemia treatment. It is still to an extent, as it is difficult for researchers to test on a Schedule-1 narcotic. But there has been an influx of research since Landon’s miraculous recovery. Additionally, there should be more to come with widespread legalization.

But from what we do know, Leukemia does have a high number of cannabinoid receptors. This allows CBD to target certain pathways in Leukemia cells. The CBD is recognized by the Leukemia receptors, and the receptors mirror the shape of CBD. This allows the CBD to land on the receptors, to create a bond. The cells are destroyed once the cannabidiol and the receptors adhere to each other.

However, Dr. Robert McKallip, a longtime cannabis and Leukemia researcher, believes cannabis needs to work with traditional medication in order to fully destroy it.

“Combined with other targeted therapies, which again, specifically target the leukemia, you give it a one-two punch and hopefully reduce side effects and improve efficacy of treatment,”

Sierra Riddle, although not a doctor, tends to agree with this sentiment. She believes it was the chemo that initially cleared her son of cancer, but it was the cannabis that kept it from coming back. Either way, it was her son’s brave battle with cancer that has changed the medical marijuana landscape forever.

Tim Kohut is Green Rush Daily Staff Writer hailing from New York. His hobbies include (but are not limited to) eating eggs, owning far too many cats, and watching Rob Schneider films. He’s a self-taught expert in the cannabis industry and hopes to share his vast knowledge with fellow weed-enthusiasts around the world.